Method for thermally determining mass flow of a gaseous medium and thermal mass flow meter

ABSTRACT

A method for determining mass flow of a gas by means of a mass flow meter, which has a first and a second temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the gas. The first temperature sensor is heated with a heating power Q, wherein the mass flow of the medium is determined by means of a power coefficient PC=Q/ΔT as a function of a heating power Q and a temperature difference ΔT m =T 1 −T 2  between the measured values of the temperature sensor. A corrected power coefficient PC corr  is determined, wherein at least one correction occurs by means of at least one recovery correction term K i , wherein the recovery correction term K i  has the form K i =Δ x ·u 2 /( 2 ·c p ), wherein u is the flow velocity and c p  the heat capacity of the medium, Δ x  is an element of the set {Δ 1 ; Δ 2 ; Δ 12 }, Δ 1 :=e 1 −c r , Δ 2 :=e 2 −c r  and Δ 12 :=e 1 −e 2 =Δ 1 −Δ 2 , e 1  and e 2  are the recovery factors of the first, respectively second, temperature sensors, and wherein c r  is a constant reference value, for which holds c r   ≦1 , especially c r   =1.

The present invention relates to a method for thermally determining mass flow of a gaseous medium and a thermal mass flow meter.

Methods for thermally determining mass flow of a gas and corresponding thermal mass flow meters are known per se. They operate by heating a first temperature sensor flowed around by the medium, in order to produce, respectively to maintain, a temperature difference relative to a second temperature sensor flowed around by the medium.

The greater the mass flow, the more heat is transported away by the medium, and the more heating power is required, in order, for example, to maintain a predetermined temperature difference. As a result, the so called power coefficient, thus the ratio between the heating power Q and the achieved temperature difference, is a measure for the mass flow.

For exact determination of the mass flow, the power coefficient is used to ascertain a heat transfer coefficient (htc), based on which then via the Nusselt-, Prandtl- and Reynolds number, the mass flow is determined. Details concerning this are disclosed especially in European patent EP 0 624 242 B1. Offenlegungsschrift DE 10 2005 057 688 A1 discloses a method for determining mass flow using a Mach number correction.

Both aforementioned documents of the state of the art describe good methods for sufficiently low flow velocities, respectively for symmetric arrangements of temperature sensors.

Especially when asymmetries occur between the temperature sensors at higher flow velocities, the so called recovery effect must be taken into consideration. The recovery effect brings about a warming of the temperature sensor due to stopping of the gas stream on the probe surface. Especially in the case of asymmetric flowmeters, the recovery effect negatively influences the accuracy of measurement considerably. It is, consequently, an object of the present invention to provide a method for thermally determining the mass flow of a gas and to provide a thermal mass flow meter, whereby the recovery effect is corrected.

The object is achieved according to the invention by the method as defined in claim 1 and the thermal flow meter as defined in claim 13.

The method of the invention for determining mass flow of a gaseous medium by means of a thermal mass flow meter, which has at least a first temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium and which has at least a second temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium, wherein the first temperature sensor is spaced from the second temperature sensor, wherein the first temperature sensor is heated with a heating power Q, wherein heat transfer from the first temperature sensor into the medium depends on the mass flow of the medium, wherein the mass flow of the medium is determined by means of a power coefficient PC=Q/ΔT as a function of a heating power Q and a temperature difference ΔT_(m)=T₁−T₂ between the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor, characterized in that a corrected power coefficient PC_(corr) is determined from corrected values of the temperature difference ΔT, wherein at least one correction occurs by means of at least one recovery correction term K_(i).

In a further development of the invention, the recovery correction term K_(i) has the form K_(i)=Δ_(x)·u²/(2·c_(p)), wherein u is a value for the flow velocity of the medium, wherein c_(p) is a value for the heat capacity of the medium, wherein Δ_(x) is an element of the set {Δ₁; Δ₂; Δ₁₂}, wherein Δ₁:=e₁−c_(r), Δ₂:=e₂−c_(r) and Δ₁₂:=e₁−e₂=Δ₁−Δ₂, wherein e₁ and e₂ are the recovery factors of the first, respectively second, temperature sensor, and wherein c_(r) is a constant reference value, wherein c_(r)≦1, especially c_(r)=1.

In a further development of the invention, the recovery correction term K_(i) is subtracted from a temperature difference ΔT or added to the temperature difference ΔT, in order to obtain a corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr), which enters as divisor, respectively factor, into the determining of a corrected power coefficient PC_(corr).

In a further development of the invention, the divisor D_(i), respectively the factor F_(i), is normalized with the temperature difference ΔT, so that the divisor D_(i), respectively factor F_(i), has the form [1±(K_(i)/ΔT)].

In a further development of the invention, the first and second temperature sensors have different recovery factors e₁, e₂, wherein, especially, the first and second temperature sensors have different flow effective forms.

In a further development of the invention, at least a first corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁ is ascertained by subtracting from the measured temperature difference ΔT_(m) a correction term K₁=Δ₁₂·u²/(2·c_(p)), thus ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁:=ΔT_(m)−K₁=ΔT_(m)−Δ₁₂·u²/(2·c_(p)).

In a further development of the invention, by means of the first corrected temperature difference, a first corrected power coefficient is ascertained, wherein especially the following holds: PC_(corr) _(—) ₁=Q/ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁.

In a further development of the invention, at least a second corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₂ is ascertained by subtracting from a temperature difference ΔT a correction term K2, respectively adding to a temperature difference ΔT a correction term K2, in which only one of the recovery factors enters, wherein K₂=Δ₁·u²/(2·c_(p)) and ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₂=ΔT+K_(2.)

In a further development of the invention, based on the correction term K2 dependent on only one recovery factor and added to the first corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁, a second corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₂ is ascertained, with which based on the first corrected power coefficient a second corrected power coefficient is determined: PC_(corr) _(—) ₂=PC_(corr) _(—) ₁/(1+K₂/ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁).

In a further development of the invention, the value for the flow velocity is derived from a value for the mass flow as well as from values for the pressure and the temperature of the medium, wherein the pressure value is provided as a measured value or is predetermined.

In a further development of the invention, based on the corrected power coefficient, a heat transfer coefficient (htc) is ascertained, wherein based on the corrected ascertained heat transfer coefficient (htc), current values for the Nusselt number (Nu) and the Prandtl number (Pr) are determined, with whose help a current value for the Reynolds number (Re) is ascertained, wherein, based on the Reynolds number, values for the mass flow and the flow velocity are ascertained.

In a further development of the invention, a renewed correction for the recovery effect is obtained with the ascertained value for the flow velocity, wherein with the resulting power coefficient a renewed ascertaining of mass flow and flow velocity is performed, and wherein the method is repeated iteratively, until the values for mass flow and flow velocity sufficiently converge, in order to satisfy a given requirement and accuracy of measurement.

The flow meter of the invention for thermally determining the mass flow of a gas in a line, especially according to one of the above methods, includes at least a first temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium; at least a second temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium; wherein the first temperature sensor is spaced from the second temperature sensor, wherein the first temperature sensor has a heating element; wherein the flow meter further includes an operating and evaluating circuit, in order to feed the heating element with a power Q, to register the temperatures of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor T1, T2, based on the power and a difference ΔT between the measured temperatures T₁, T₂ to ascertain a power coefficient, from the power coefficient to ascertain a heat transfer coefficient (htc), wherein based on the ascertained heat transfer coefficient (htc) current values for the Nusselt number (Nu), and the Prandtl number (Pr) are determined, with whose help a current value for the Reynolds number (Re) is ascertained, wherein based on the Reynolds number value the mass flow and the flow velocity are ascertained, characterized in that the operating and evaluating circuit is adapted to ascertain a power coefficient PC_(korr), which is corrected as regards the recovery effect.

In a further development of the invention, the operating and evaluating circuit includes a microprocessor and at least one data memory, in which the at least one recovery factor or a difference between two recovery factors is stored.

In a further development of the invention, the first and second temperature sensors have different flow effective forms.

In a further development of the invention, the operating and evaluating circuit includes at least one data memory, in which relationships between the heat transfer coefficient (htc) and the Nusselt number (Nu), respectively between the Nusselt number (Nu), the Prandtl number (Pr) and the Reynolds number (Re), are stored tabularly and/or functionally.

The invention will now be described in greater detail based on the example of an embodiment illustrated in the drawing, the figures of which show as follows:

FIG. 1 a schematic representation of an example of an embodiment of a flowmeter of the invention; and

FIG. 2 a flow diagram for correction of errors due to the recovery effect.

The thermal flowmeter 1 shown in FIG. 1 includes a cylindrical support tube 10 as well as a first temperature sensor 11 and a second temperature sensor 12, each of which protrudes from an end face of the support tube 10. Each of the temperature sensors comprises a metal shell of length of, for instance, 1 cm, in which a resistance thermometer is arranged. The first temperature sensor 11 can additionally be heated via an electrical resistance in the shell. The shell of the first temperature sensor 11 has an outer diameter of, for instance, 6 mm, while the outer diameter of the second temperature sensor amounts to, for instance, 3 mm.

The flow meter further includes an electronics module 20 with a microcontroller 21, which contains a data memory 23, as well as an operating and measuring circuit 24 for heating the first temperature sensor 11 and for measuring the temperatures T₁ and T₂ of the first and second temperature sensors 11, 12, wherein the operating and measuring circuit 24 is controlled by the microcontroller.

Fundamentally, the thermal ascertaining of a mass flow occurs by supplying the first temperature sensor with a heating power Q, which is so controlled that the difference between the temperatures T₁ and T₂ of the two temperature sensors corresponds to a desired value. From the power coefficient resulting therefrom, then a heat transfer coefficient htc is ascertained, based on which then via ascertaining of the Nusselt number (Nu), and the relationship between the Nusselt number (Nu), the Prandtl number (Pr) and the Reynolds number (Re), the mass flow and the velocity are ascertained. This method is described in European Patent EP 0 624 242 B1 and is used for putting the present invention into practice. The required relationships between PC, htc, Nu, Pr and Re are stored tabularly and/or functionally in the data memory 23, respectively furnished in an additional data memory.

According to the invention, there occurs supplementally at least one correction for the recovery effect. The basis for this is knowledge of the recovery factors e₁, e₂ and the difference between the recovery factors Δ₁₂=e₁−e₂.

The difference between the recovery factors Δ₁₂=e₁−e₂ can be determined, for example, by exposing an unheated thermal flowmeter with a heating power of Q=0 to a defined mass flow of a gas under different velocities u. From the resulting temperature differences ΔT=T₁−T₂=Δ₁₂·u²/(2·c_(p)), Δ₁₂ can be determined, without having to know the individual values of the recovery factors e₁, e₂.

The determining of a recovery factor of a temperature sensor can basically occur by flowing a defined mass flow of a gas of known temperature and different flow velocities around it or by difference measurement against another temperature sensor with known recovery factor. A method for determining a recovery factor of a temperature probe is disclosed by Stephan Ihle in his bachelor thesis at the Technical University Wien bearing the title “Experimentally Determining the Recovery Factor of a Temperature Probe”.

The ascertained values of Δ₁₂Δ₁ are stored in the data memory 23 and are available there for evaluation purposes.

In the case of the mentioned geometries, the recovery factors of both temperature sensors lie between 0.9 and 1, wherein the recovery factor of the first temperature sensor is usually the smaller of the two.

Furthermore, the data memory contains at least one value for the heat capacity c_(p) of a gas whose mass flow is to be measured.

A further essential parameter is the pressure, with which the gas is flowing past the temperature sensors, for therefrom depends in the case of given mass flow the flow velocity.

In arrangements with constant pressure, the pressure can be predetermined and stored as a fixed parameter. In the case of arrangements with fluctuating gas pressure, in contrast, a pressure measurement value of an external pressure sensor is supplied via a signal input 25, to the extent that the flow meter has no integrated pressure meter.

FIG. 2 gives an overview of an example of an embodiment for correction for the recovery effect.

In step 100, first of all, conventionally a power coefficient PC_(m) is determined based on the measured values for the power Q and the temperature difference ΔT.

Then, there follows in step 110 a correction for asymmetry in the recovery factors.

In step 120, then a second correction is performed, in order to compensate for the recovery effect of the first temperature sensor per se.

In step 130, there occurs, finally, the ascertaining of the heat transfer coefficient htc from the power coefficient corrected for the recovery effect. This step and the following steps for ascertaining the mass flow and the flow velocity occur according to the state of the art.

In step 110, the flow velocity is explored as a parameter. In such case, usually, a comparatively current value, for example, the last available measured value, is used as starting value for the correction in an iterative method, in the case of which the correction for the recovery effect is performed anew with the flow velocity ascertained at the end of a trial, until the resulting values for mass flow and flow velocity become sufficiently stable, in order to satisfy a predetermined criterion for the accuracy of measurement, for example, (u_(n)−u_(n-1))/u_(n)<3%, especially <1%, and preferably <0.5%. 

1-15. (canceled)
 16. A method for determining the mass flow of a gaseous medium by means of a thermal mass flow meter, said mass flow meter has at least a first temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium, and has at least a second temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium, comprising the steps of: spacing the first temperature sensor from the second temperature sensor; heating the first temperature sensor with a heating power Q, wherein heat transfer from the first temperature sensor into the medium depends on mass flow of the medium; determining the mass flow of the medium by means of a power coefficient PC=Q/ΔT as a function of a heating power Q and a temperature difference ΔT_(m)=T₁−T₂ between the measured values of the first temperature sensor and the second temperature sensor; and determining a corrected power coefficient PC_(corr) from corrected values of the temperature difference ΔT, wherein: at least one correction occurs by means of at least one recovery correction term K_(i).
 17. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: the recovery correction term K_(i) has the form K_(i)=Δ_(x)·u²/(2·c_(p)); u is a value for the flow velocity of the medium; c_(p) is a value for the heat capacity of the medium; Δ_(x) is an element of the set {Δ₁; Δ₂; Δ₁₂}; Δ₁:=e₁−c_(r), Δ₂:=e₂−c_(r) and Δ₁₂:=e₁−e₂=Δ₁−Δ₂; e₁ and e₂ are the recovery factors of the first, respectively second temperature sensor; and c_(r) is a constant reference value, wherein c_(r)≦1, especially c_(r)=1.
 18. The method as claimed in claim 17, wherein: the recovery correction term K_(i) is subtracted from a temperature difference ΔT or added to the temperature difference ΔT, in order to obtain a corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr), which enters as divisor, respectively factor, into the determining of a corrected power coefficient PC_(corr).
 19. The method as claimed in claim 18, wherein: the divisor D_(i), respectively factor F_(i), is normalized with the temperature difference ΔT, so that the divisor D_(i), respectively factor F_(i), has the form [1±(K_(i)/ΔT)].
 20. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: the first and second temperature sensors have different recovery factors e₁, e₂, and, especially, the first and second temperature sensors have different flow effective forms.
 21. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: at least a first corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁ is ascertained by subtracting from the measured temperature difference ΔT_(m) a correction term K₁=Δ₁₂·u²/(2·c_(p)), thus ΔT _(corr) _(—) ₁ :=ΔT _(m) −K ₁ =ΔT _(m)−Δ₁₂ ·u ²/(2·c _(p)).
 22. The method as claimed in claim 21, wherein: by means of the first corrected temperature difference, a first corrected power coefficient is ascertained: PC _(corr) _(—) ₁ =Q/ΔT _(corr) _(—) ₁
 23. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: at least a second corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₂ is ascertained by subtracting from a temperature difference ΔT a correction term K₂, respectively adding to a temperature difference ΔT a correction term K₂, in which only one of the recovery factors enters; and K ₂=Δ₁ ·u ²/(2·c _(p)) and ΔT _(corr) _(—) ₂ =ΔT+K ₂
 24. The method as claimed in claim 22, wherein: based on the correction term K₂ dependent on only one recovery factor and added to the first corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₁, a second corrected temperature difference ΔT_(corr) _(—) ₂ is ascertained, with which based on the first corrected power coefficient a second corrected power coefficient is determined: PC _(corr) _(—) ₂ =PC _(corr) _(—) ₁/(1+K ₂ /ΔT _(corr) _(—) ₁).
 25. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: the value for the flow velocity is derived from a value for the mass flow as well as from values for the pressure and the temperature of the medium, wherein the pressure value is provided as a measured value or is predetermined.
 26. The method as claimed in claim 16, wherein: based on the corrected power coefficient, a heat transfer coefficient (htc) is ascertained; based on the corrected ascertained heat transfer coefficient (htc), current values for the Nusselt number (Nu), and the Prandtl number (Pr) are determined, with whose help a current value of the Reynolds number (Re) is ascertained; and based on the Reynolds number, values for the mass flow and the flow velocity are ascertained.
 27. The method as claimed in claim 26, wherein: a renewed correction for the recovery effect is obtained with the ascertained value for the flow velocity, with the resulting power coefficient a renewed ascertaining of mass flow and flow velocity is performed; and the method is repeated iteratively, until the values for mass flow and flow velocity sufficiently converge, in order to satisfy a given requirement and accuracy of measurement.
 28. A flow meter for thermally determining the mass flow of a gas in a line, especially according to a method as claimed in claim 16, comprising: at least a first temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium; at least a second temperature sensor, which can be flowed around by the medium; and a heating element; and an operating and evaluating circuit, in order to feed said heating element with a power Q, to register the temperatures of said first temperature sensor and said second temperature sensor T1, T2, wherein: said first temperature sensor is spaced from said second temperature sensor; based on the power and a difference ΔT between the measured temperatures T₁, T₂ to ascertain a power coefficient, from the power coefficient to ascertain a heat transfer coefficient (htc); based on the ascertained heat transfer coefficient (htc) current values for the Nusselt number (Nu), and the Prandtl number (Pr) are determined, with whose help a current value for the Reynolds number (Re) is ascertained; based on the Reynolds number value the mass flow and the flow velocity are ascertained; and said operating and evaluating circuit is adapted to ascertain a power coefficient PC_(korr), which is corrected as regards the recovery effect.
 29. The flow meter as claimed in claim 28, wherein: said operating and evaluating circuit includes a microprocessor and at least one data memory, in which the at least one recovery factor or a difference between two recovery factors is stored, and/or in which the relationships between the heat transfer coefficient (htc) and the Nusselt number (Nu), respectively between the Nusselt number (Nu), the Prandtl number (Pr) and the Reynolds number (Re), are stored tabularlly and/or functionally.
 30. The flow meter as claimed in claim 28, wherein: said first and second temperature sensors have different flow effective forms. 